The Consequences of a Lie
by mid20sfan86
Summary: Pansy Parkinson and Theo Nott's daughter, Maisie has always liked Scorpius Malfoy. What happens when the two date and their parent's forbid it. A secret not spoken for nearly seventeen years is about to be revealed. How will the kids take it?
1. Chapter 1

Maisie Nott watched him joke around with his friends in the common room, across from where she was seated. Always she had liked him, even if he really didn't give her the time of day. He was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, in the top five for the year, a prefect and very handsome. Since her first year at Hogwarts she had liked him.

Scorpius Malfoy only talked to her if he needed to. Mostly he hung around his small gang. The four boys stuck together and enjoyed picking on the first years. Maisie really didn't approve of this, but she laughed anyway, just so Scorpius could notice her and know that she found him funny.

"Staring at Scorpy again?"

Maisie glared at her best friend, Laney Pucey, who was also Scorpius' cousin.

"No, and don't call him Scorpy," she snapped.

"I've been calling him Scorpy all our lives," Laney said in an offhand voice. "You know, I _could_ tell him that you've liked him for five years…"

Maisie shook her head and shot a look at Scorpius' gang. "No! That will make me seem like some creepy stalker and-"

Laney let out a loud laugh, causing several Slytherins to look over at them. A group of fifth years glared at her from over their homework.

"Maisie, you've been stalking him since our first year. You've been trying to get his attention since you first noticed him. Honestly, if you just told him the truth, I'm sure he'd take you to Hogsmeade. I mean, we're in our sixth year now, aren't you tired of this little game?"

Maisie didn't answer her, but agreed. Five years she had been watching him, following him, and even forcing Laney to sit in his compartment on the train, just to strike a conversation with him. Scorpius rarely started a conversation with her, and if he did it was about homework.

She often wondered if it was because their parents had fallen out years ago. She wasn't allowed to even say 'Malfoy' in her mother's presence. Her father told her it was because her mother had dated Scorpius' father in Hogwarts but then he married Astoria Greengrass, Laney's aunt. Apparently her mother had never gotten over it. Perhaps Scorpius' father had told him to stay away.

"Look, what if I told Scorpius that I wanted you and him to join Peter and me on a double date, as friends. Then Peter and I will leave early, and then you try to stick with Scorpy for the day?" Laney interrupted Maisie's thoughts.

Maisie shrugged. "I guess, but don't make me sound desperate, okay?" she asked. "Now, let's get started on Transfiguration. We don't want Professor Passer to point out how perfect Rose Weasley's work is _again_."

Maisie and Laney, along with the rest of the Slytherin girls disliked Rose Weasley, who was a know-it-all and top of the year. They often laughed at her hair which was red and very bushy. She looked a lot like her mother (with red hair), who had also been top of the year when she'd been in school. Maisie's mother hadn't liked her either.

"This stuff is so complicated. I should have just dropped it after last year," Laney complained.

"It's not that hard. It's useful too, I've never liked my nose, and now I can change it," Maisie said.

She pulled a mirror out of her school bag and examined her reflection. She looked exactly like her mother, but she was tall like her father. She always thought her nose made her look like a pug dog, and reasoned that was why Scorpius didn't notice her. He, like many boys preferred the really pretty girls. Maisie knew she was far from it.

"It doesn't last you know," Laney told her.

She watched as Maisie started to play around with her nose. She wanted it to stick out a little longer, but not too much longer. She hated to admit it, but she always thought little Lily Potter had a cute nose. Maisie was in fact lucky that Scorpius didn't like the Gryffindors, otherwise he'd notice just how pretty Potter who was two years younger was.

"I know, but if I can make it last for the Hogsmeade trip… or when it wears off I can put it back," Maisie answered as she slowly extended her nose out.

Laney started to laugh again, as Maisie accidentally went too far. Her nose stuck out too far, she quickly tried to change it back to normal, but instead made it bigger. Laney's laughter drew in attention, and more people noticed. The common room broke into laughter as Maisie tried to fix her mistake, but her nose only grew longer.

"Hey Nott! That's a good look for you!"

Maisie looked up and felt horrified to see Scorpius leaning against Peter and howling with laughter. Tears sprang to her eyes; she jumped up and ran for the common room door, people laughed even louder.

"Well, he noticed you," Laney told her in the corridors as they headed for the hospital wing.

"Shut up, it isn't funny!" Maisie sobbed.

"Oh come on, it's not a big deal," Laney told her. "Don't you remember in the third year when you knocked the shrinking solution on your hand? He forgot about that, didn't he?"

"I always manage to make a fool out of myself around him," Maisie said.

They walked through the dungeon corridors and up the stairs that led them to the Entrance Hall. To her horror, some of the Weasley and Potter cousin's were coming in from the grounds; Rose and Lily were included in the group. They burst into laughter as soon as they saw her.

"Wow Nott, nice look… at least you don't look like a pug anymore," James Potter yelled after them.

"James, you're supposed to be Head Boy," they heard Rose scolding, though her voice was full of laughter.

"He is Head Boy," Laney said with disgust. "He is supposed to give detentions to students who bully others."

"Have the Potter's ever taken it seriously when it comes to us?" Maisie asked trying to keep her head down.

Although, that wasn't entirely true. He looked after many of the younger Slytherins, but he didn't for them. They hurried on to the hospital wing, luckily not running into anyone else. Maisie wasn't sure if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with Scorpius after all. He'd probably remind her of all her accidents and laugh.

* * *

The day of the Hogsmeade trip was very cool and windy. Maisie made sure to bundle up as much as she could. Laney was waiting for her, clucking her tongue and tapping her foot, as she put on her makeup. She had decided just to leave her nose alone until she understood human transfiguration better. In the meantime, she just worked on her eyes. Everyone told her she had beautiful brown eyes.

"He sees you everyday, I don't see what all _this_ is for," Laney said as Maisie put her dark hair up.

"You wouldn't," Maisie muttered.

Laney was one of the prettiest girls in the year. She didn't need to wear makeup to look better. She had long blond hair, and green eyes. Even Lily Potter, who was beautiful, looked plain compared to Laney.

"This is Halloween, not Valentine's Day," Laney said.

"You think he'll ask me out for the Valentine's Day trip?" Maisie asked hopefully.

Laney just responded by laughing. At that point, their three dorm mates entered the bathroom. Gretchen Goyle shoved Maisie from the mirror and began working on her hair. The other two girls, Lisa Warrington and Rachel Harper giggled and moved beside her. Laney rolled her eyes and beckoned for Maisie to hurry up.

"So, I heard you're going to Hogsmeade with Scorpius," Gretchen said as they made to leave.

"Yes, so what?" Maisie asked as she wrapped her Slytherin scarf around her neck.

"I'm just surprised he's interested in _you_," Gretchen said.

"He isn't interested in her. The only reason why they are going together is because Laney pleaded with him to ask her," Lisa laughed.

"As if any guy would willingly go out with _her_," Rachel added scornfully.

To say that Maisie and Laney didn't get along with their dorm mates would be an understatement. They had been enemies since their second year, before that they hadn't really noticed each other. However, the three girls thought it would be fun to pick on the new Slytherin's. Picking on the first years could be fun, but the girls had gone too far by getting them lost in the forbidden forest. Since then, Laney and Maisie hadn't wanted much to do them. The hate between them grew over the years.

"And you think someone would willingly go out with you?" Laney snapped.

"I've had six boyfriends," Rachel answered in a snooty voice. "Maisie has never had any. Even Gretchen has had a boyfriend."

"Hey!" Gretchen said angrily, she shoved Rachel who just laughed.

Gretchen took after her father, who was overweight. It wasn't her weight that turned the boys off. She wasn't a very friendly girl; in fact, calling her 'mean' would be too nice. Maisie was sure it had been her idea to lead the first years into the forbidden forest. Not only that, but she wasn't a pretty girl either, so she had a couple strikes against her. It was very well known that she liked Scorpius; the two had grown up with each other. As far as Maisie knew, he treated Gretchen with the same indifference he did with her.

"Let's go," Laney said.

They left the bathroom and hurried to leave the dormitory.

"You didn't _really_ plead with Scorpius to take me, did you?" Maisie asked nervously.

"No," Laney scoffed. "Don't listen to them. I told him I thought it'd be fun if you and he came with Peter and me to Hogsmeade. He is Peter's best friend, and I'm yours. He just shrugged and said, 'sure'."

"Good," Maisie said.

Even before Lisa had said that Laney had to beg Scorpius to take her, she'd been worried. He'd been laughing at her for the past week because of the nose incident. He'd call her Pinocchio. Maisie wasn't even sure of who or what Pinocchio was. It couldn't have been too mean since he'd agreed to take her to Hogsmeade.

"I think Scorpius would have hexed me if he'd said no and I begged him," Laney told her. "Your nose is back to normal at any rate."

"Thanks," Maisie said dryly.

In the Common Room, Scorpius and Peter were waiting for them. Maisie hoped she wouldn't make a fool out of herself in front of him again. All she needed to do was spill butterbeer all over herself at The Three Broomsticks. He gave her a smile as they approached; she felt warmth in her neck and cheeks.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi," she said back, nervously.

Maisie was not a shy girl, but at that moment, she did feel shy. Luckily Laney noticed and told them to get a move on. Peter and Laney were holding hands in front of them. Maisie wished that she and Scorpius would as well, but he had his hands in his robe pockets.

"So where are we going first?" she asked Laney.

"Three Broomsticks. We can have some brunch there before we do anything else," she answered back.

"Do you drink butterbeer?" Scorpius asked her.

Maisie nodded, "It's one of my favourite drinks."

"Too bad we couldn't order some firewhiskey," Peter said wistfully.

"You can't handle your alcohol anyway," Laney snapped. "Remember last year when Slytherin won the cup and you drank half a bottle of it? I spent all the next day making up excuses for why you weren't in class."

Peter and Laney started to argue after that, causing Maisie to giggle. The two had been dating for over two years and argued over everything. In the beginning they had been cute, both trying to impress the other. After dating for a couple months, they grew used to each other and were constantly bickering. The Slytherin's had a bet that they'd break up soon enough, but they were still going strong.

"They act like an old married couple," Scorpius said with disgust.

"Oh I know, and then they start snogging as if their lives depend on it," Maisie agreed.

Scorpius laughed, and Maisie felt herself relax. She decided to ask him if he had any good tactics for the upcoming match that they would be playing against Gryffindor. This seemed to be the right thing to say to him, he started telling her about some new techniques he wanted to try out. This kept them occupied as they entered the Entrance Hall and stood in line. The very old caretaker Filch was leaning on a cane, taking names.

"I wonder when he's going to retire. He started when my grandfather was in school," Scorpius said.

"I don't know. I know he doesn't like the students, so why he'd stay at a job he hates is beyond me," Maisie answered.

When it was their groups turn, he squinted into their faces, and then let them go. Laney started a conversation with them about the Weasley's, which they talked about as they made their way across the grounds to Hogsmeade. Maisie felt relieved when Scorpius called Lily stuck up.

The cold winds whipped around them, and Maisie was glad she had decided to put her hair up. It was hard to hear as they got closer to the gates, so they shouted to be heard. Ahead of them was a group of excited third years yelling about which stores they wanted to go to first.

It was a relief to finally reach The Three Broomsticks. It was already crowded with students, but Laney managed to find a table for four. A waitress came over and handed them menus. This made Maisie feel a little nervous, she had never been on a date with a boy. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to order. In the end, she ordered bacon and eggs, the same as Laney.

"I'll get the same," Scorpius told the waitress. "Two butterbeer's as well, please."

"I'll get a firewhiskey and-" Peter began.

"He'll be getting an orange juice," Laney cut in.

"I'm not getting orange juice," he retorted.

"You're not getting firewhiskey either."

"How about two more butterbeers?" The waitress asked with amusement.

"You two even argue over what you'll order?" Scorpius asked as he rolled his eyes.

Neither answered, in fact, Peter seemed to be too angry to say a word. Laney was angry as well, she just engaged Maisie in a conversation about a pair of dress robes she wanted to buy. Maisie didn't know why she was asking her advice; Laney was pretty in anything she wore.

"Come with me to the washroom before the food is ready Maisie," Laney said abruptly.

When they were in the washroom, Laney started on Peter. Maisie could tell she was furious and kept quiet until she was finished.

"I think he might have been just joking," Maisie finally said.

"No he wasn't. He drinks _all_ the time. On weekends, and it'd be all right if he could handle his alcohol, but he can't. He becomes all maggoty and then hits on other girls. How they even manage to get firewhiskey in the school… but that's not the point. I'm okay with him drinking once and a while, but it's been every weekend since the school year started. If he was caught, he'd be expelled!"

"Where do they even get the firewhiskey from?" Maisie asked; she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked okay.

"Seventh years, but it won't be long before he can buy his own. His birthday is at the end of November. He'll be sneaking into Hogsmeade and buying his own," Laney answered. "I don't think anyone checks what people bring into the school anymore."

Someone started to enter the bathroom, but Laney pointed her wand at it, the door slammed. There was a click as the door locked.

"Anyway, I don't have to make up an excuse for you and Scorpius to be alone. I want to talk to him."

The door opened again, but Laney was done talking, so she didn't bother to lock it again. Rose Weasley entered the bathroom; she glared at them before she entered a stall and slammed the door. Laney just laughed and they left the bathroom quickly. They walked back to their table there Scorpius and Peter seemed to be deep in a serious conversation.

"Food will be here in a moment," Scorpius told Maisie as she sat down.

After they ate, Laney told Peter that she wanted to talk to him alone. Maisie really hoped the two of them would be okay. Her friend complained about him a lot, but she loved him.

"Where do you want to go now?" Maisie asked Scorpius, she really hoped that he did want to hang out still.

"Honeydukes?" he asked.

"All right," she said.

Peter and Scorpius got up to pay the bill. The girls put their traveling cloaks back on. Maisie wanted to run back to the bathroom to make sure there wasn't grease on her face, but Scorpius came back before she could. He seemed as if he was in a hurry to leave, she followed him out.

"So how come you've never tried out for the team?" he asked.

"I'm not too good," she told him.

"I've seen you fly, you're great. I always thought you'd make a good Chaser."

Though the weather was very cold, she suddenly felt warm. _I always thought you'd make a good Chaser. _From that statement, it meant that he had indeed noticed her before, and not when she was making a fool out of herself. She was quick on a broomstick, but she had to keep both hands on the broom. She explained this to Scorpius who laughed.

"You just need a bit more practice. We'll need a new Chaser next year. You should think about trying out."

She couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to him. The other times she'd talked to him, she hadn't acted like herself, but a ditzy girl because she was nervous. When she was alone with him this time, it was so easy to talk. As they entered Honeydukes, she asked him more about his family. She'd always been curious about his father since her mother didn't like to talk about him.

She learned that his family had a hard time a long time ago after the war. People weren't sure if they could trust the Malfoy's because of their part in it. His father had a hard time getting work at first, but apparently Harry Potter had vouched for him. Maisie was surprised by this; they had been enemies in school according to her mother.

"I don't really have the same views as father. I mean, I don't really want much to do with Muggleborns, but they are here to stay. What's the point in trying to wipe them out?"

Maisie agreed. She couldn't see herself becoming friends with a Muggleborn, but she thought it was ridiculous to prevent them from coming to Hogwarts. Long ago, wizards had learned to keep themselves secret from the Muggles.

"No one would believe a Muggle if they said wizards existed," Maisie said.

"Exactly," Scorpius said. "I honestly think it's an excuse for people to fight. The dark lord had a Muggle father after all. I think he was just bitter because he had to grow up in an orphanage, so he took it out on the Muggles."

Maisie felt even more respect for Scorpius as the day continued on. He shared the same views as she did, and he liked the same chocolate she did as well. They passed Madame Puttifoot's café, on their way back to the school later that day.

"Guess Peter and Laney made up," he laughed.

"Did you see them?" Maisie asked; she looked over her shoulder.

"Couldn't tell who was who."

They both laughed, Maisie felt some satisfaction as they passed Gretchen, Rachel and Lisa by the gates.

* * *

Their relationship grew slowly after that. Usually Peter hung around Laney and Maisie on his own, but Scorpius started to join him. They didn't have a chance to go on dates all the time because Hogsmeade was only open to students a few weekends a year. Instead, they would walk the corridors together talking on their own, eating together in the Great Hall or hanging out in the common room.

Laney, of course enjoyed telling Maisie, "I told you so," every chance she got. On the other hand, Maisie was glad she had waited until the sixth year. They were older, so the chances of them staying together longer was better than if they had gotten together when they were second years.

It took a while for him to kiss her, but when he finally did she thought she saw the fireworks only read about in books. After that, they spent a lot of their time in secluded corners. Laney told her that it wouldn't last.

"Peter and I were like that when we first dating; it's the thrill of a new relationship."

"What are you talking about? You two still thrash around the common room!"

"Not the way you two do," Laney laughed. "Actually, I was told to tell you from Gretchen to get a room."

"We aren't that bad," Maisie said as she blushed. "We don't kiss in the common room."

She was thrilled to be a couple. People often talked about Maisie and Scorpius, instead of just Maisie or just Scorpius. There were a lot of girls jealous since he was a good catch. Gretchen was very angry about this, she found ways to try and retaliate.

In Potion's class, she accidentally on purpose knocked Maisie's cauldron full of hot contents over. The liquid would have landed in her lap, but Scorpius who was beside her managed to banish it before it could.

"You should be more careful Goyle, that would have eaten away at her skin," he said angrily.

"Thanks," she said still shaky.

"No problem, I would have done it for anyone. She's just as clumsy as you are," he said and smiled at her fondly.

"I'm really not that clumsy you know. Only around you, except I haven't been lately," she answered.

"Good thing then," he said.

He looked surprised. Maisie had never told him that she'd liked him for years. She figured it'd be better to tell him when their relationship wasn't so new. She didn't want him think that she had pined over him for years.

"That nose incident was because I was trying to practice for Transfiguration," she told him as they cleaned up.

"Figured as much. I didn't really think you were Pinnochio."

"Okay, who is that? Why do you keep calling me that?"

"It's a Muggle story for kids. A friend of Mother's used to buy them for me. Pinocchio was a puppet but came to life as a boy. I don't remember the full story, but whenever he lied, his nose grew," he answered.

"Oh," Maisie said.

The bell rang, and the class began to line up. They stood behind Albus and Rose who were whispering together about some gift.

"Basically it's one of those life lesson stories. You know, lies have consequences. In Pinocchio's case, his nose kept growing."

Rose looked up shocked from her conversation with Albus. "You know about Pinocchio?"

"Who in Merlin is that?" Albus asked as they made their way out of the classroom.

* * *

The Slytherin team ended up losing to Gryffindor, which put Scorpius in a bad mood for a while. Maisie tried to cheer him up by saying that they'd win the next game, but he didn't want to hear it. Laney told her not to get offended; he was just a die hard Quidditch fan.

"Just be there for him, and you'll be fine," she told her.

Some people joked it was because he was too distracted by this girlfriend. Maisie was worried that this would anger him, but found that he was amused by it after a while.

"The ones saying it are the ones who are single," he told her. "Bet Potter wishes he had a girlfriend to keep him distracted… not that it's your fault. It was the Seeker's. He was paying attention to the game instead of the Snitch. I'm almost thinking about finding a new Keeper and being the Seeker instead. That's what I wanted to play when I first tried out."

Maisie figured it was because James had both a mother and father who had played Seeker at one time and that was why their player had lost. She wasn't going to point this out to Scorpius though.

She started going through her dress robes and Laney's. He had asked her to go to the Hogsmeade trip before Christmas break and she wanted to look nice. She was looking forward to the break so she could tell her mother about him. She had told Maggie to keep it to herself. She was sure she'd be happy for her. She didn't realize just how wrong she was.

* * *

"So, does your dad ever mention my mum?" Maisie asked Scorpius.

They were on the train, the holiday's at started and they were on their way home.

"He said they dated when they were in school," Scorpius answered. "I don't know too much about it. He doesn't exactly like to talk about her."

She, Scorpius, Laney and Peter all shared a compartment. They were currently playing exploding snap and talking about the holidays. Maisie had already told Scorpius that her mother didn't like to hear the last name 'Malfoy'. He had just shrugged and said they'd get over it.

"It's been a long time since they were at school, they need to get over whatever happened," Laney said.

"I'm sure mum will be pleased. She told me that she only wanted Maggie and me to be happy," Maisie said.

"Father probably won't say much," Scorpius said. "He teases me a bit when I have a new girlfriend, but that's it."

It still felt good to hear him call her his girlfriend. She had wished it would happen for years. Each day she woke up, she felt good knowing that she was with him. She didn't think it could ever get old. He was very different around her then he was with his friends. She'd noticed that with his previous girlfriends, she always wished it'd be her, and it finally was.

They hadn't even bothered to double date for the Christmas Hogsmeade trip. They had just gone together on their own. They had spent a good time at Madam Puttifoots café. They'd both had a laugh when James Potter dragged Lily Potter from a boy, then proceeded to punch the poor boy in the face.

Maisie and Laney had met later to buy Christmas presents for Scorpius and Peter. Maisie was worried that it'd be too soon, but Laney assured her that it wasn't. She ended up buying him a book about Quidditch techniques and hoped that he didn't already own it. Laney assured her that the boys were probably out buying gifts too.

"So when are we having the big family Christmas?" Laney asked Scorpius.

"Don't know," he answered. "Probably Christmas Eve. Father wants to have another Christmas party this year. He'll want to spend all day preparing for it. I don't understand why he has them. He invites all these people from the Ministry who don't even like him. They are just there for the free alcohol and food."

"I didn't know you had Christmas parties," Maisie said, a little hurt that he'd never mentioned it.

She also wondered why they'd never gone to one if they were held every year. Laney hadn't even mentioned it to her, and she told her everything.

"It's tradition. It's been going on since even my Grandfather was a boy. It stopped for years because of the war and aftermath. Father decided to start them up again. If you ask me, he just wants the respect back the Malfoy's used to have. I don't have the heart to tell him that it isn't going to happen, not with the people he is trying to impress anyway."

'The Potter's were there last year. Not the kids, but Harry Potter and his wife," Laney said stiffly.

"Yeah, I know. Father doesn't exactly hate him, but he doesn't like him either. He invites them to come though. They only started to come a few years ago," Scorpius said.

"And your dad is trying to get his respect?" Maisie asked.

"I doubt it. Father invites everyone from the Ministry. Since Potter is a big name there, he has to invite him if he is going to invite other important people from the Ministry. Basically he just sends them to anyone who works there, even the workers who aren't important," Scorpius explained. "You should come this year, then Father can meet you."

Maisie had been hoping for an invitation since they brought up the conversation. She thought about asking her parents to go with her. It was about time that they made up. She didn't want to think to far ahead in the future, but if she and Scorpius got married they would _have_ to make up. It was better to do it now to get it out of the way.

It wasn't long before the train arrived at Kings Cross station. After a lengthy good-bye with Scorpius, Maisie left to find her parents. She found them hugging and kissing Maggie. Maggie was only in her first year, so there were some tears. Maisie made her way over to them slowly.

"I think you've grown a few inches since I last saw you," her father said while he hugged her tightly.

"And prettier of course," her mother said, "but of course I always knew you would be. You're my daughter after all."

Maisie didn't want to point out that neither one of them were close to being pretty. Maggie was cute, but she was still at the age where she looked childish. Maggie did look a lot different from Pansy and Maisie, so there was still hope for her.

"So, did you two have a good school year? Is NEWT level still hard?"

"The work is complicated," Maisie told her. "But I'm doing all right, I'll probably never be top of the year like Rose Weasley though."

"I wouldn't anything less from _Granger's_ daughter. _You_ are doing a lot better then I did though. I only had a few OWLs to continue with but you did really well," she said as she pulled Maisie to her side.

"I am doing good too!" Maggie shouted. "I'm not top of my year but I am good in all my classes. Charms is my best class."

"How did we manage to get smart daughter's Theo?" her mother asked her father.

"Didn't come from us, that's for sure," he chuckled.

The good mood between them didn't last long. Maisie waited until dinner to tell them about Scorpius. Her mother was just sipping a glass of wine when she told her.

"So Scorpius Malfoy and I are dating now," she said casually.

Her mother began to choke on the wine. She dropped the glass on the floor.

"What?" her father shouted.

"This-this can't be happening," her mother choked. "Theo… what are we going to do?"

"Firstly, Maisie, you aren't going to see that boy any longer. Secondly, Pansy dear, we're going to have to talk to Draco about this."

Maisie was shocked. There was no way she was going to stop seeing Scorpius, not after all the years she had been waiting to get together with him. She couldn't believe that her parents couldn't get over the past.

"I've liked him since I was eleven-years-old, now when he finally likes me back, you two aren't going to let me?" Maisie asked angrily.

Her mother was sobbing into a napkin at that point. Her father got up and began to rub her back, he whispered something her ear that neither Maisie nor Maggie could hear. The two children were staring at each other.

"Mum?" Maggie asked.

"I'm all right," her mother said. "It was just a shock… I never thought this would happen."

"Mum, I really like Scorpius," Maisie said. "Why are you so upset? I know his father broke your heart but that was years ago."

"Finish your dinner. We're not going to talk about it anymore," her father commanded.

"That's not fair! You should at least tell me why you don't want me with him," Maisie protested.

"Just do as your father tells you! No back talk. You tell him that you don't like him anymore Maisie. You aren't to see him anymore," her mother snapped.

"But mum-"

"Go to your room, Maisie!"

Maisie shoved her plate away hard. It knocked her glass of juice over, but she didn't care. She stood up, and stormed from the room angrily. When she reached her room, she made sure to slam the door as hard as she could. Afterward, she fell on her bed and started to cry. She wasn't going to stop seeing him just because her mother couldn't get over the past.

Maggie came up to her later. She sat on the edge of Maisie's bed and rubbed her back softly.

"Mum and dad left to talk to Mr. Malfoy," Maggie told her.

"Did they tell you why?" Maisie asked, she sat up and wiped her eyes.

Maggie shook her head. "They told me to tell you that they would be back later."

Maisie got up and went into her bathroom to wash her face. Maggie followed her; she sat on the edge of the bathtub while she tried to fix her makeup, which had smeared.

"Daddy is angry, very angry. Not at you, but with Mr. Malfoy. They were wondering if they should tell you. Of course they couldn't say too much since I was there."

"So, there must be more to it then just a break-up," Maisie said. "Ugh, I so wish I could do magic. It'd be easier to clean this up."

"Daddy said that they should have been honest with you since the start," Maggie continued.

"I don't care what they say," Maisie told Maggie. "I'm not going to stop seeing him."


	2. Chapter 2

_Pansy's point of view. End of November, Seventeen years previously_.

Pansy Parkinson paced her flat waiting for him to come. Draco was finally going to call off the wedding with Astoria for her. She'd been asking him to do so since the beginning of their affair. She always wore a satisfied smirk around the Greengrass'. She'd never liked Daphne, but had put up with her in school. She'd won Draco back then and had succeeded once again.

They had some lost years after the war, and in those days he had started to date Daphne's younger sister, Astoria. Pansy figured it was because she hadn't been available. She'd been too busy hiding out. People were angry with her for selling Harry Potter out. She really had no choice but to go into hiding while Death Eaters were being rounded up. After a few years, she was able to come back out.

After reconnecting with her old school friends, she learned from Daphne that Draco and Astoria had recently become engaged. Pansy was of course furious. She was even more furious to learn that Daphne had managed to snag Adrian Pucey, another good catch. In fact, a lot of the good men had been taken while she hid. Her choices were between Theodore Nott and Gregory Goyle if she wanted to marry a good pureblood. Gregory Goyle was definitely not an option for her.

Luckily, Theo had always had a crush on her back in Hogwarts, so it didn't take long before the two began dating. Pansy really wanted Draco; she decided to work on him, but to keep Theo as back up in case it didn't work. She didn't see why it wouldn't; he must still love her as much as she still loved him.

In the beginning it wasn't easy; Draco had become noble since the war. He went on about staying faithful to Astoria which Pansy didn't buy.

"Oh come off it, Draco. You cheated on me back in school," she protested. "What's so different now?"

"A teenage relationship, Pansy. Unlike you, I've grown up. You weren't there for me when I needed you the most anyway," he had answered.

"I was in _hiding_, Draco. People were after me," she retorted angrily.

"Yeah, what were you thinking that night anyway? You were in a room full of Potter supporters. I was actually quite amused when everyone stood up like that. You must have wanted to disappear though," he said and laughed.

"I was scared," she answered.

It was true; she'd heard all about the Dark Lord from Draco, her parents and many other Slytherins but had never met him. The fact that he was going to attack the school if they didn't hand over Potter was terrifying. She honestly had no idea that everyone, even little first years would turn their wands on her. If people could apparate out of Hogwarts, she would have immediately.

After that conversation, it took several meetings before he gave in. She didn't feel bad for Theo or Astoria at all. Draco was hers; they had all known that back in Hogwarts. The affair had gone on for several months before she finally told Draco that he had to call off the wedding.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. Pansy hurried to the door to answer it. Draco entered after she let him in, but he didn't look happy. She offered to get him a butterbeer, but he shook his head.

"I can't do this anymore," he said. "Pansy, it's wrong. I am marrying Astoria. I should never have started this with you."

Pansy felt as if she had just swallowed a large rock. "Draco, you don't love her. You just think you do. You love me; it's always been you and me."

"It was you and me in Hogwarts. Look, Astoria is pregnant, Pansy. She is due in April. That's a month before the wedding. I can't just call off the wedding and leave her pregnant. And you're wrong, I love her. These last few months with you was just a-a fling. I'm sorry, Pansy."

"Draco… she's half-blood," Pansy tried to reason with him. "It's contamination to the Malfoy bloodline. Me, I come from seven generations!"

"Blood doesn't matter," Draco said.

If she hadn't seen Draco saying it, she wouldn't have believed he had said it. She knew his voice well, she knew he had spoken the words, but she was still shocked.

"So you're telling me you'd marry a Mudblood?" Pansy snapped.

"I wouldn't go that far…" but his tone didn't sound convincing. "I've learned a lot since the war, Pansy. I had to do and see things that I never wished I had. Have you ever seen someone tortured?"

Of course she had, in their seventh year the Carrow's had forced them to torture other students. She hadn't really enjoyed it, but it had kept her safe, and that was all that mattered. She nodded, but Draco shook his head.

"I'm not talking about the stuff that went on at Hogwarts. I'm meaning what had happened at my house. I-I saw a snake eat a woman, _I_ had to torture people and if I didn't do it right, I'd be tortured. I never liked Granger, but I never wanted her to be tortured. Yet, I had to stand there and watch my aunt use that curse on her… the screams were awful."

"Oh come on, Draco. When the Chamber of Secrets was opened, you kept saying that you hoped Granger would be killed," Pansy scoffed.

Draco's face reddened at this point, which didn't happen often on his usual pale face. He clenched his fists into balls.

"You don't get it Pansy! I was a stupid little boy then! I didn't understand back then what it was like. Yeah, you were at Hogwarts where it was bad. You didn't have to witness what I saw! It was horrible! You never seen _him_ torture and then kill people! You never saw what I saw! You don't know what he put my parents and me through. You think you understand because you had to hide for a while, well you don't Pansy! No one was ever after you. You just took the easy way out instead of facing everyone! I had to face the Ministry because _he_ had wanted me to kill Dumbledore, or else he'd kill my family! My family has been through hell and back! The only person who understood me was Astoria!"

Pansy was in tears by that point. Draco just shook his head in disgust; he got up and headed for the apartment door. Pansy chased after him, she yelled for him to come back, but he slammed the door behind him. A moment later, there was a loud crack. Pansy fell to her knee's sobbing, she hated Astoria for doing this to her.

It was a very rainy August evening. Pansy clutched her baby daughter close so she wouldn't get wet. She pushed the buzzer again frantically. She knew someone was home; there were lights on in the manor. Finally a familiar voice spoke through the intercom.

"Yes?"

"Draco! Please, you have to let me in. I need to talk to you!" she yelled.

"I told you not to contact me anymore," he answered.

"Draco, please. It's pouring out and it's important, please talk to me!"

There was no answer at first, but then the gates opened. Pansy was relieved; she hurried into the gates and up the lane way. She clutched baby Maisie closer as she ran. Maisie was the solution to her problems, she knew it. Once Draco took a look at her, he'd fall in love. She would explain everything to Theo later; he deserved so much more than she could give him.

At the door, she knocked hard. Moments later, the door was opened by a house-elf who bowed. Pansy stepped into the familiar foyer. It had been a place she had spent most of her childhood, even before she and Draco had started to date. She closed her eyes and pictured herself, Crabbe, Goyle, Daphne and Draco all five-years-old and running around the manor.

"Pansy," someone said stiffly.

Pansy opened her eyes to see Draco. He had his arms folded; he stared at her in a cold way he normally reserved for his enemies.

"Could you hold her for a moment please?" she asked as she held Maisie out to him.

He took Maisie from her and Pansy began to dry herself off quickly. Luckily the baby wasn't too wet. Draco had taken a wand out of his robes and was gently drying her off while she slept.

"Why are you outside with a baby? Why didn't you conjure an umbrella at least?" Draco asked with some amusement.

"I didn't think of it," Pansy answered. "And obviously I can't apparate with a baby; you've put passwords on your floo network-"

"I'd think you would want to do the same with a young child. The Malfoy name isn't exactly respected these days. I'd do anything to keep Scorpius safe. He's only four months old," Draco answered. "So what was so important for you to risk getting this baby sick? Is it Theo's?"

"No, that's why I'm here. When Theo and I first got together, we never slept together," Pansy answered. "The only person I slept with during that time was _you_."

Comprehension dawned on Draco's face. He shook his head and stared down into his daughter's face. It had been rather risky for Pansy to take her out in the rain, she was only a couple week's old. She hoped the baby wouldn't get sick from it. Maisie made a sucking noise, but slept on. She had no idea that she was in the arms of her real father.

"No… no, there has to be a mistake," Draco said.

"There isn't," Pansy said. "And you know how easy it is to do a test. We could do one if you need further proof. I'm not lying to you Draco, that's your daughter you are holding."

Draco swore. "You did this on purpose!"

He shoved baby Maisie back into her arms. He looked up as a baby started to cry from above. He turned and headed down the hall, then up the steps. Pansy followed him, she was curious about the newest Malfoy, her daughter's brother. He didn't tell her to leave, so she figured it was all right.

"Astoria is visiting her mother," Draco informed her as they walked into a nursery.

"Wow, you really went all out," Pansy said as she looked around the room.

"Anything for my son," Draco told her.

He bent down and picked up a small baby boy who wore green and silver pajamas. Immediately he stopped crying as soon as he was in his fathers arms. Pansy turned Maisie to face her older half-brother.

"This is your brother Maisie," she cooed.

"Pansy!" Draco scolded.

"Oh they can't understand us. Anyway, she is your daughter," Pansy told him. "You can't just ignore her."

"I can and I will. What have you told Theo?" Draco was eying her coolly again.

"He knows. He is willing to be her father," Pansy answered.

"There you go, problem solved. You want money? I can send you some Galleons if you'd like. As long as you never tell Astoria or anyone about this," he said. "I first want some proof that she is mine."

"I need a couple of your hairs then," Pansy told him. "It's not needed because I know you are the father, but if you insist…"

"I do insist. In fact, we'll do the test now. Put her in the cot, and come with me. Make sure to take some of her hair or something first," Draco told her.

Pansy had already taken a couple of Maisie's hair. She knew that it would come to this. She gently laid Maisie in the cot while Draco set Scorpius back in the crib.

"Morty!" Draco shouted.

There was a crack and the house elf that had let her in appeared.

"I need you to watch these babies for a bit please," he said.

"Yes sir," Morty said and bowed.

Draco beckoned for Maisie to follow him. They left the nursery and Draco led her back down the stairs and into the large kitchen. She was amused, not much had changed since they were children. The rooms in the Manor looked more or less the same. She could remember sitting at the kitchen table and eating a peanut butter sandwich when she'd been a little girl.

Draco started to rifle through the cupboards. He slammed a cauldron down onto a burner. He opened a large book next and ran his finger down an index page.

"Thirty-three," he muttered. "You have Maisie's hairs?"

Pansy pulled out a small zip lock bag containing some of Maisie's hair, which was just as black as hers. Draco took the bag from her roughly. He started to add ingredients to the potion, then the hairs. He told her to watch the potion while he looked for a photo of himself. He returned a few moments later with a photo taken at the wedding.

When the potion was ready he gently poured a few drops onto the photo. There was sizzling noise before his voice issued from the photo: "Congratulations, you are the father."

"No!" Draco yelled. "Pansy! What did you do to make this happen?"

"It's not only my fault Draco, you had a part to play in it too!" she shouted back. "That baby girl upstairs is your daughter and you will take responsibility for her."

"No, Pansy! I've finally just turned my life around. Look, I'll send you money to provide for her. You also said Theo will take care of her as well. I can't be involved in her life. I'm married to Astoria, and she can't know about this. After all she's done for me… it's a poor way to pay her back. As far as she knows, Scorpius is my only child and that's the way it's going to stay, unless of course Astoria gets pregnant again."

"I don't believe this!" Pansy cried. "You're just going to ignore her. It's not right Draco. She needs her real daddy."

Draco just shook his head and apologized again. "I think you should go. Look, you don't need the password to leave through the floo network here. Take it and go; she may already be sick from being exposed to all that rain."

Pansy went back up to the nursery crying. Things weren't working out the way it should. Maisie was supposed to help her get Draco back, but instead she was just another burden for her to bear. For the first time since she found out that she was pregnant, she didn't want her baby.

* * *

Maisie was sick, very sick. Theo scolded Pansy for taking her out in the rain, but Pansy barely paid attention. Draco didn't want her or her daughter, so why did it matter? She didn't care anymore if her daughter died. It was good that Theo was there, otherwise she might have. He was the one to take the baby to St. Mungo's.

"Pansy, you're just going to give up like that? I already told you that I'd take care of you and your baby. Now she is lying in St. Mungo's on constant watch," Theo yelled at her. "So what if Draco won't take care of her? You have me! She needs _you_ Pansy. If you let that baby die I will leave you. You'll never hear from me again."

"She'd die whether or not I was here or there," Pansy told him dully.

"I don't believe this! You know, back in Hogwarts I always defended you. I was the one who informed you that Draco was cheating on you! I was the one who stood up for you when people called you a stuck up priss. You've done a lot of stupid things in your life Parkinson, and I've always stood by you. However, if you don't go to the hospital and visit that baby, we are through! She needs _you_!"

Pansy could see that he was serious, and she realized that he was right. She was being selfish. Maisie was her baby, she couldn't let her die. Pansy nodded and stood up. Theo's face lit up with relief as this point. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"I want to marry you Pansy Parkinson. I don't care that she isn't my daughter. I'll raise her as my own either way."

Tears fell down her cheeks. "I'll marry you Theo. I've been a fool. I never noticed that you were right in front of me. It was always Blaise and Draco. You have stuck by me more than anyone else."

"Then let's get our baby well again, and then we'll marry," he said softly.

* * *

_The Present_

Malfoy Manor looked the same as it did sixteen years ago. Pansy and Theo peered through the gates. Pansy had really only seen Draco in Diagon Alley, or at the Ministry but they ignored each other. He only spoke to her when he gave her money for Maisie, though it didn't come once a month as it used to. They agreed to once a year when she started school. Draco had told her that the payments would stop once Maisie turned seventeen.

"Well, are we going to get this over with?" Theo asked.

"Part of the agreement was that I didn't show up to the Manor at all," Pansy answered, she was very nervous.

"Well we only get one more payment from him, and we don't even need it. I think this _is_ important! I'm just worried about how close they are," Theo said while he pressed the buzzer.

"She's going to hate us-"

"Yes, who is it?" A soft voice asked.

Pansy felt relieved to hear Astoria's voice, she would let them in while Draco would turn them away. Theo announced who they were quickly.

"Really? Wow, you two haven't been here… in ages! Come right in!" she said in an excited voice.

Theo and Pansy exchanged looks, they both knew that she wasn't going to be happy for much longer, unless they could talk to Draco on his own. Theo reached out and took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as they walked through the gates. Pansy saw in the distance a peacock strutting along one of the hedges. She was amused; of course they still had peacocks.

When they rang the doorbell, an old house-elf opened the door. Pansy recognized it as the same one that had been there when Maisie was a baby. It welcomed them in. Pansy looked around the foyer; there were some differences from when she'd last entered the house. There were Christmas decorations hung up along with what looked like a recent large family portrait of Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Astoria and Scorpius. Pansy felt some resentment when she saw it; Maisie should have been in the portrait as well.

Astoria hurried into the room and threw her arms around Pansy, then Theo. Draco had followed, but he wore a frown.

"What is this about?" he asked.

"They are our good friends, Draco. I don't think they've been here since… well long before Scorpius was even born!"

At this, Draco looked at Pansy sharply. She wanted to communicate with him without using words. _It's an emergency, Draco! It's about our kids! _She knew that Draco was an accomplished leglimence. They continued to stare at each other while Astoria fussed about why they didn't come more often.

"Come with me for a moment, Pansy," Draco said, "Astoria, take Theo into the sitting room. Morty, get us some drinks please."

Pansy hurried over to Draco who led her into the kitchen. She wondered where Scorpius was, she wanted to see if he still resembled Draco. She had seen the picture of him of course, but there was a difference when you could see someone up close. She didn't blame her daughter for falling for him; it was just too bad that it all had to end up like this.

"So what's going on? You aren't here for a visit," Draco drawled, he leaned against the cupboard and folded his arms.

"I guess Scorpius hasn't told you?" she asked.

"I haven't seen him since we brought him home. I think he is out visiting his friend Peter. That boy spends more time with his friends then he does at home. I really don't get the chance to see him anymore," when he said this, he looked unhappy.

"Well, it might interest you to know that our children are dating," Pansy answered.

Though Draco was naturally pale, he went even more so as she said this. "You're not- this isn't- how did this happen?"

"Well I believe it happened because we weren't truthful with them. I've already told Maisie that she can't see him anymore, but you know teenagers. You have to talk to him as well," Pansy answered. "I wanted to tell her the truth… but I had to talk to you first."

"We can't tell them the truth, this is a secret I've kept from Astoria from the beginning," Draco answered; he reached up and gripped his hair. "Damn it! This is your entire fault!"

"My fault? If we'd been honest with the kids and Astoria from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened, and-"

"Honest about what?" someone asked.

Pansy and Draco turned to face the kitchen door. Astoria was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded. Draco looked back at Pansy with pure hatred, Pansy took a step back. If she could, she'd take back the past so she wouldn't have to witness this. In the beginning, she would have enjoyed telling Astoria the truth, but not anymore. She had learned a lot since she'd married Theo.

"You two might as well tell me, what are you keeping from the kids and me?" Astoria said but she was directly her words mainly at Draco.

"Astoria," Draco said in a soft voice, he shot another glare at Pansy then walked over to her. "Let's go in the sitting room to talk about it."

Pansy really hoped that they weren't going to divorce over this. If Maisie hadn't happened, and Theo had had an affair before their marriage, she'd leave him. Astoria let Draco take her hand. They walked down the hall and turned into the large sitting room. Theo was busy looking at the framed photo's over the fireplace.

Pansy was taken back to teenage memories. She and Draco had sat in this very room in their early romance. In those days they bad mouthed the Gryffindor's, talked about school, their friends and when they didn't talk, they kissed. She wished they could go back to that time.

Theo walked over to her and took her hand, "What did he say?" he whispered.

"We're about to tell Astoria," she whispered back.

"Shhhit," he said, and pulled her closer.

"Well?" Astoria asked after she sat down in a chair.

"Astoria, this is my entire fault," Pansy said before Draco could answer. "If you are going to judge anyone, or blame anyone, then point your finger at me."

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" Astoria demanded.

"Pansy _is_ to blame, but I played my part in it as well," Draco began. "Let me finish before you interrupt, dear. Months before we got married, Pansy came to me and told me she was still in love with me. I told her I was marrying you, but she kept insisting to give her another chance… and we ended up having an affair," at this point, Astoria's face paled but she waved her hand for him to continue. "Pansy insisted I call off our marriage but I couldn't do that to you. I regretted even having the affair… I told her to stay away from me, and you. It worked out fine, but then months later she came back with a newborn daughter… my daughter."

Astoria nodded, "And now Scorpius and Maisie are dating.

"Yes," Draco said, he got down onto his knees and took her hands. "Astoria, I'm sorry I never told you… but I didn't want to hurt you. I love you and Scorpius more than my own life."

Pansy couldn't believe these words were coming from Draco Malfoy's mouth. He was certainly a lot different from the boy she had known in Hogwarts. He had never told her that he loved her. He'd never apologized for cheating on her, or really about anything. Draco indeed had changed, and for the best. No one from Hogwarts would believe that he'd go down on his knees and beg his wife for forgiveness.

Astoria looked past Draco and into Pansy eyes, "It was always about you, wasn't it Pansy? Always! You couldn't stand when someone else was happy. You always claimed Draco as your own!"

"Yes," Pansy answered. "In a nut shell, I was a selfish bitch. Everything I did was for me, I didn't care about you, or Theo… or even Draco. I just wanted him for myself. Astoria, that man loves you though. He cheated on you but he regretted it. You should have seen him when I told him that Maisie was his! Everything he did was to protect you and Scorpius."

"And now the past has come back to bite both of you in the asses!" Theo joked but no one laughed.

"Astoria, forgive me for being unfaithful when I was young, and forgive me for keeping this secret from you," Draco pleaded.

"I'll have to think about it," Astoria said, "but for now we have to figure out what to do about these kids."

"I think we should be honest with them," Theo said, both Pansy and Draco looked up to protest, but he put a hand up to stop them. "Do we really want another scene like this? If we tell them to stop seeing each other, they will anyway. As of right now, I don't believe they have been dating for long-"

"Two months," Astoria answered.

"Wait, you knew?" Draco asked; he looked surprised.

"Well, I knew they were dating, yes. Scorpius has always told me everything. He wrote me as soon as they started dating. I'm sure he was waiting until the holidays to tell you. I think he is usually embarrassed to tell you about new girlfriends," she answered and Draco nodded in agreement. "This is a shame really, he's happy with her. I agree with Theo though, I don't want my son to hurt like I am right now. I know he will, when we tell him, but not so much if they grow any closer."

Draco nodded again and stood up, he turned to Pansy and Theo. "It would have been better if we'd been honest from the beginning, but… well I know teenagers, they will continue to date if we don't tell them the truth."

Pansy sighed, "This isn't going to go well, and I really am sorry Astoria. None of this would have happened, but I kept badgering Draco."

"Yes, well I think you two should go. It was nice to see you again Theo," Astoria said.

Pansy muttered goodbye, and Theo pulled her close and led her from the room. Neither talked, but then Pansy turned to look back at Draco who looked devastated.

"Draco's been sending child support payments, however you really don't need to anymore," she said.

Draco gave a small nod but didn't answer. She quickened her pace, and they hurriedly left the manor. Pansy didn't realize she was crying until Theo hugged her outside. She felt so bad for Draco and Astoria, even more for Maisie and Scorpius. She wanted a time-turner so she could go back and smack her past self across the face.

* * *

"They're home!" Maggie yelled as she jumped into Maisie's bed.

"Yes, I heard them," Maisie said annoyed as she shoved her away. "What has mum told you about jumping on the beds? Really, Maggie, you're going to be twelve soon. Grow up,"

"You're just all angry because of Scorpius; don't take it out on me!" Maggie answered and stuck out her tongue.

Maisie rolled her eyes and then sat up. She had spent the evening reading a fiction novel while waiting for her parents return. She put the book aside, and got off the bed just as her parents walked into the door. Her mother's eyes were red; her father had an arm around her. Maggie immediately stopped laughing.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Sit down, it's a long story," her father answered. "You too Maggie, you might as well hear this too."

Her mother then began telling them about her years at Hogwarts from being in love with Draco Malfoy since she was a little girl (which sounded a lot like Maisie and Scorpius to her) to dating him for a few years. She explained that she'd yelled out for someone to grab Harry Potter in the Great Hall and then went into hiding afterward because people were angry with her. She'd stayed at her grandparents for a while in France before she returned to the country to pursue her relationship with Draco, who was engaged to Astoria Greengrass. They had an affair until Draco told her to stay away from him and he married Astoria.

"The thing is Theo and I never had sexual relations during that time. So when I was pregnant, I knew Draco was the father. The problem was, at that point he was already married and had a baby son. He didn't want his mistress's baby daughter," her mother finished.

"You're not saying that Maisie and Scorpius are brother and sister?" Maggie asked in disbelief.

"That's exactly what we're saying," her father said.

"Scorpius is my brother…?" Maisie asked, "No, no he can't be. You're just making it up so that we can't see each other anymore. You're just upset because-"

"I'm sorry Maisie, but it's the truth, I wish it wasn't. I wish you could have a relationship with him, but you can't," her mother said.

Maisie wasn't sure what to think or feel, she knew her mother wasn't really lying. If she was, she wouldn't be so upset. She had always done everything to make sure Maisie was happy; she wouldn't lie about something this important. She shuddered; she'd been in love with her _brother_. She felt anger and disgust for her mother but revulsion for herself.

"Well…" Maggie said with a small smile, "Sometimes purebloods marry their own cousins."

"Oh shut up!" Maisie yelled. "This is- mum, why couldn't you have told me!?"

She started to cry, and when her mother tried to embrace her, she shoved her away. Maisie heard her father mutter something, and then heard footsteps retreating. She wiped her eyes away to see they had left. Maisie looked over at the fireplace where a fire was lit and instantly thought of Laney.

She ran over and picked up the jar of floo powder. She reached in for a handful, and then threw it into the flames. When they turned green, she got down onto her hands and knees and called out the address and bedroom as she stuck her head into the flames. Laney was at her desk, writing a letter.

"Maisie!" she said jumping up.

"I need you to come over right now!" Maisie said.

"Right now? Maisie, I think my parents wanted to spend some time with me later, can't it wait?"

"NO IT CAN'T WAIT I NEED YOU NOW!" Maisie yelled.

"All right, all right. Just let me tell my parents where I'm going at least. I'll be there in a few minutes," Laney said in an exasperated voice.

Maisie pulled her head out of the flames; she had to sit for a few minutes until she wasn't dizzy from the effects of the floo. When it passed, she went back to lie on her bed. Laney didn't come in a few minutes, but a half hour later. She stepped from the fireplace and brushed herself off.

"So, Aunt Astoria is at my place ranting about Uncle Draco and your mum to my mum, so I'm guessing this has to do with Scorpius?" Laney asked.

Maisie didn't waste anytime telling her the whole story. Laney sat with her mouth open during the story. She patted Maisie on the back of it.

"Well, on the positive side… you could say we're cousins," Laney said.

"Be serious Laney, and no we're not cousins, you're not related to Draco by blood!" Maisie said angrily.

"We probably are somehow actually, I think the Greengrass' are related to the Malfoy's somehow, but calm down Maisie. It's bad, but neither you nor Scorpius knew! You always said you felt a connection with him, and it was because you're blood related," Laney answered.

"We are half-brother and half-sister!" Maisie answered. "I feel so… disgusting! I made out with my brother. I basically stalked him from first year until now! And for your information, I always thought it was gross when pureblood's married their _cousins_ to keep it in the blood! Scorpius and I are even more closely related!"

"But all you two ever did was kiss! Yes you dated but you didn't _do_ anything, you two didn't _know_! By rights, you have access to the Malfoy fortune! They have loads of money. Mum is always complaining that Aunt Astoria has it made."

"I don't care about the money. I just care about the fact that I was in love with my brother! It's disgusting and how do you think Scorpius is going to react to all this? What if his parents divorce because of it?"

Laney was quiet by this question; neither girl said a word for a few minutes. "How is your dad reacting to it?"

Maisie knew she was referring to her father Theo and not Draco. "He knew the whole time. He was always in love with my mother. She said he wanted to marry her anyway and give me a father."

"Aunt Astoria was in tears… I wonder if Scorpius knows yet," Laney said.

Maisie shrugged. It just didn't seem fair, the first boy she fell in love with ended up being her brother. She didn't know if she could forgive her mother for it. She didn't even know if she'd be able to look Scorpius in the face again. Laney gave her another hug, neither said a word. She'd always loved her father and now it turned he wasn't her real dad.


	3. Chapter 3

Maisie avoided her parents for the rest of the holidays. Scorpius had invited her to go to the Malfoy Manor Christmas ball, but that was before they had found out the secret. She decided not to go, even though Laney spent the days leading up to it trying to convince her to go.

Maggie was the only person she would talk to if Laney didn't come over. For the first time since she started Hogwarts, Maisie spent all her free time doing homework. She didn't want to think about her parent's revelations but it kept her up at night. Her father wasn't her father and her real one hadn't wanted her. She had made out with her brother…

She didn't want to go back to school and face him, but she really had no choice. She certainly didn't want to talk to be at home with her parents. Her mother tried to hug her good-bye on the platform, but Maisie just cringed away. She grabbed her trunk, and without saying good-bye, she climbed onto the train. She found Laney and Peter in a compartment and sat down with them after Peter helped her put her trunk away.

"You look like crap," Laney said. "Have you slept at all?"

"Would you be able to sleep if you found out what I did?" Maisie snapped back.

She wasn't sure if Peter knew or not, but one glance at his face told her that he did. It was a look of pity, something she really didn't need. She sighed and looked out the window, but regretted it instantly; Scorpius was there with his parents. He also had very dark circles around his eyes.

"Maisie, you and Scorpy are making more out of this then you should," Laney said.

"Tell me, if you found out that Peter was your brother, how would you react?" she asked angrily.

Both Peter and Laney blushed; they looked at each other and then looked away. There was a very embarrassed silence. Maisie smiled bitterly; at least she had gotten what she wanted.

"All right, so of course it would be embarrassing to find out, and I'd be disgusted, but all you and Scorpius have ever done is kiss. There are families who are actually so close that they kiss. Some even like to feel… natural around each other," Laney said.

Peter started to laugh.

"So, how is he anyway?" Maisie said, she had almost laughed as well.

"Embarrassed, disgusted and very angry with his father. Mr. Malfoy always forbade Scorpius from doing certain things because it could lose the respect the Malfoy family has had to earn since the war. This of course is much worse and Scorpius says his father is just a coward and a hypocrite. He wants to know what other scandals his father is hiding from the world," Peter said. "He hasn't spoken to his father since he found out and he is surprised that his mother forgave him."

"So she did?" Maisie asked.

Laney nodded. "She wasn't sure if she should at first and they are still kind of rocky, but she knows he is sorry. She mostly hates your mother for it, actually."

Maisie hated her mother at the moment as well. She had heard stories about her mother but never wanted to believe anyone could be that selfish. Her mother had always seemed to be a decent woman, but apparently not. Her father tried to explain to her that teenagers and young adults often make big mistakes that they regret.

"So that makes what she did okay?" Maisie snapped. "I'm a teenager you know. So if I go out and kill someone, it's okay because I am young? When I am older I can look back and say, well I was young and everyone makes mistakes!"

"Well first of all, if you killed someone you'd be in Azkaban… but well that's not the point. I understand what you're saying and no it doesn't make it okay. What your mother and Draco Malfoy did was wrong, and they know it. They learned from their mistakes though-"

"So I am a mistake now, am I?"

"No, Maisie… that was the wrong word to use I guess. They learned from their actions. When you were eight-years-old you cut off all of Maggie's hair because you were jealous of her. You felt very bad for it later and you learned never to do it again. It doesn't mean it was okay but you regretted it, you learned your lesson, and you tried to make it up to her. Your mother and Draco Malfoy have been trying hard to make up for what they did. Your mother has spent her life trying to make you happy, and so have I. I've never thought of you as anyone else but my daughter. Haven't you noticed your mother often tends to your needs before Maggie's? It's from the guilt and she wants to make it up to you."

Maisie didn't care, as far as she was concerned, she had no family. As soon as she graduated Hogwarts, she was leaving and never coming back. Of course she would talk to Maggie, but she would ignore her mother and father. She wanted nothing to do with people who had lied to her all her life. She wouldn't have to listen to anything her father told her anymore since he wasn't her father.

Maisie hesitated for a moment and then asked, "And how does he feel about me?"

"He doesn't blame you for it," Laney answered quickly as if reading her mind. "He's embarrassed and said he doesn't know if he can look you in the eye again, but he knows you are as much of a victim in this as he is. I wouldn't try to talk to him for a bit though…"

"Give it a few weeks," Peter added.

"Maybe months," Laney said.

"Or years even."

Maisie rolled her eyes; they thought this was all a big joke. She turned away and looked out the window. The train had long ago started to move; now all she saw was grassy scenery.

---  
School started the same way it did every year, there was only one difference that time; Maisie did not stare at Scorpius. He mainly kept to himself; he didn't even hang around his gang as much as he did. Laney and Maisie often found him in the library, studying.

"Well, we should have known that Maisie couldn't hang onto a boyfriend for long," Gretchen said and laughed.

Maisie ignored her. It was better if everyone thought that they had broken up rather then hear the real story. Laney told off anyone who made fun of them about it since it was her best friend and cousin who were at the end of the jokes, often Peter would as well.

Maisie was just relieved that the school work was so complicated, it kept her busy. If she kept it up, by the end of the year she would have really good marks. Homework helped out a lot though. When she was too busy trying to figure out difficult Arithmetic equations, she couldn't think about anything else.

A match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff came up shortly after the holidays, but Maisie decided not to go. She didn't want to watch Scorpius at all. Even if he couldn't see her, she was still too embarrassed to look at him.

"Oh come on, you're becoming such a a _bookworm_ these days," Laney protested. "Come out and have some fun!"

"I need some time," Maisie told her. "You go, okay? If you want some fun, we'll sneak into Hogsmeade."

She was joking, but Laney narrowed her eyes.

"All right, I'm holding you to that one then. You and me only, tonight!"

"Aren't you a prefect?" Maisie asked. "Shouldn't you put me in detention for even suggesting such a thing?"

"Maisie, do you know how many times Peter and I have snuck into Hogsmeade since I got this thing? I always thought you were better suited for it, but apparently not. None of the other girls would have gotten it… anyway, as a prefect, I order you to sneak into Hogsmeade! Ha, now you have to do it."

Maisie didn't even want to point out how wrong that logic was, so she didn't. Actually, sneaking into Hogsmeade sounded like fun, and Laney was right, she had become a bookworm lately.

---  
Peter of course knew what they were doing, and he was angry that Laney hadn't invited him along as well.

"I could get firewhiskey-" he began.

"Precisely why you aren't coming. Do you think I want to drag your drunken ass back here? Have you ever heard of girl time? And don't you dare go running off to Scorpy!"

"Why would he care? He has snuck into Hogsmeade himself. Besides, he doesn't like to hear the name 'Maisie' these days."

"That's comforting, really," Maisie snapped.

"Well, I didn't say it to comfort you," Peter snapped back.

They waited until it was late before they left. Maisie had never snuck out before, so she followed Laney's lead. She seemed to know where to go. They didn't talk as they crept through the corridors. They didn't want to alert Filch the caretaker.

---

Pansy stared into the flames while she cuddled into Theo's lap. They didn't say much as they waited for Draco and Astoria to show up. This would be the first time either one of them had visited their home. She sighed, her daughter hated her. Theo told her that she would come around, but Pansy wasn't so sure.

After they had rescued Maisie from the hospital, she had spent her whole life devoting her time to her daughter. All she cared about was raising a happy little girl, and Theo did the same. She had always had everything she wanted even if it was too expensive. In the beginning, they had struggled for money, but after a while, they managed to save it and their gold grew. Draco always made sure to send more than enough for Maisie as well, it was probably twice the amount of money people usually got for child support.

Recently, Draco had talked to Theo at work. They had decided that they needed to do something about the kids. Both were depressed, neither had slept well over the holidays, and they had become bitter. They had contacted the school to find out how the children were doing and found out that they mostly ignored their friends and put all their efforts into their homework.

Normally this would please a parent but it didn't in this case. The children were closing themselves off from their friends and each other. According to Laney Pucey, Scorpius and Maisie wouldn't even look at each other. Maisie wouldn't write home at all and Scorpius only addressed his letters to Astoria.

The fireplace suddenly lit up and Draco stepped out. His face was very pale and he had very dark shadows under his eyes. Pansy was reminded of their sixth year when he had looked the same. He had lost weight and there was a grayish tinge to his skin. Astoria stepped out moments later.

"Evening," Theo greeted as he gently pushed Pansy off his lap. "What would you like to drink?"

"Firewhiskey if you have it," Draco answered. "I'll help."

The men disappeared quickly. Pansy had a feeling that he didn't want to be left with her. He probably had come to mainly talk to Theo. Astoria walked over and sat down in an armchair.

"You don't look good either," she observed. "I don't really like the idea of him drinking so much. I've told him that alcohol won't solve this."

"What will?" Pansy asked; she was very surprised to see that Astoria was being pleasant.

"Time and patience. I've told Draco that, but he won't listen. At first I was so angry with him and you. I wanted to divorce him and let everyone know about the affair, but I thought about it. You're right, he does love me a lot and it shows now because he is punishing himself so much. He doesn't sleep, he drinks all time and if he isn't drinking, he is working himself to death. He apologizes every night, and he… cried once. He hasn't been like this since after the war ended. He hates that Scorpius is so angry with him. I can see you've been punishing yourself as well."

"I've been punishing myself since Maisie got sick after Draco told me that he couldn't be her father. She almost died because I took her out in the rain. I've spent the last sixteen years trying to making her happy. And I've failed. She wouldn't even hug me good-bye on the platform."

Pansy started to cry again. What if something bad happened to either one of them and they died angry with each other? Pansy remembered the war very well, whenever she sent the children off to school, she hugged them as if she would never see them again because there was a chance that she wouldn't. Of course there wasn't a war at the moment, but you never could know…

She was surprised when she felt Astoria hug her. The woman was too nice for her own good, but she understood why Draco loved her so much. Pansy wiped her tears away. She wondered what was taking the men so long.

"She'll come around. You aren't the same selfish person you used to be Pansy, I can see that now. Actually, I've seen you with both you daughters and I can see that you are a loving mother."

"How did Scorpius react when you told him?" Pansy asked.

"At first he didn't believe us. He thought Draco was joking around; sometimes he does that when Scorpius has a new girlfriend, he'll make up some wild story. When he found out it was the truth, he flipped out. He started yelling at Draco and then when it really set in that he had been dating his half sister, he got very embarrassed. He took a beater club and destroyed a lot of his father's possessions. Then he locked himself in his room for the rest of the holidays. He only came out if Peter came to visit or Laney did. He didn't even go to our annual Christmas party."

"And now he won't talk to him?" Pansy asked.

Astoria shook her head. "He told him at the train station that he hated him. Draco didn't take that too well."

A few moments later, Draco and Theo returned with glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey. It was going to be a long night.

---  
"You look like the night of the living dead," Peter told him.

"Shut up," Scorpius answered. "Why don't you go bother Laney."

He was tired of his friends remarks about his appearance. He was tired of everything. He hated his father for doing this to him. His mother shouldn't be giving him another chance, she should have divorced him right away, and then he wouldn't have to feel so ashamed of going home again. At the moment he wanted to drop out of Hogwarts so he didn't have to see _her_.

"Can't, she and Maisie went into Hogsmeade," Peter said.

"What have I told you about saying that name in front of me?" Scorpius snapped. "And what do you mean Hogsmeade? It's against the rules."

Peter snorted and let out a very annoying laugh. "Yes because you have _never_ snuck over to Hogsmeade. Last year after our first week here, you snuck into the village just to prove that your badge meant nothing. And you're going to have to face her sooner or later. You're in the same year and house. You take classes together."

"I rarely talked to her until we- it's going to be easy to ignore her, okay? Now leave me alone."

"Until you what, Scorpy? Until you dated?"

"SHUT UP!" He roared.

The thought of it always made him beyond angry. He just wanted to go out and start wrecking things. He had finally found a girl who wasn't an annoying ditz and she was his sister. He had dated his half-sister, every time he thought about it, he wanted to jump into the shower and scrub until his skin turned red. In fact, he had done just that after he found out the truth.

"So you're just going to put her out of your life completely. Just ignore a family member?" Peter asked.

"Sounds about right yeah, I'm doing the same to my father. You know, if this happened to you and Laney, you would feel the same way. No, you would feel worse since you've slept with her. Maisie and I never did, thank god! At least I have that thought to keep me sane, although it isn't much. It's like being around Dementors twenty-four seven, I'm reliving that night with my parents over and over again."

"You look like you've been around Dementors for that long too," Peter muttered.

"Thanks for your input, now go away."

"You and Maisie are being ridiculous. She spends half her time doing homework or crying her eyes out, she looks just like you. You two both look as if you've become vampires or something."

"Shut up," he said as he had a very bad mental picture. "You shouldn't have let them go to Hogsmeade."

"You want to know what happens when I try to boss Laney around? It isn't very good, I can tell you that. Besides, she is a prefect. Scorpius, just relax. You're about as fun as manticore these days," Peter said.

"I can see you aren't going to leave me alone," he said.

He got up to leave the Common Room; Peter was right on his heels. Why couldn't he take the hint the same way his other friends did?

"Where are you going?"

"Hogsmeade," he snapped.

"Brilliant, let's go to the Hogshead and get some firewhiskey."

---  
"Feel better yet?" Laney asked as Maisie downed another butterbeer.

"Nope, I wish these things could make you drunk," she sighed.

"If they did, they wouldn't sell them to under seventeens," Laney answered. "Anyway, just because it will make you forget reality-"

"I don't need the lecture Alana," Maisie interrupted.

"Don't call me Alana," Laney snapped.

For some reason she disliked her name, so she had renamed herself Laney. Even her parents called her that; everyone seemed to have forgotten that it wasn't really her name. Maisie just shrugged and opened another bottle. It didn't make her feel drunk, but it did warm her up a great deal.

They were in the Hogshead. Laney said that sometimes teachers visited The Three Broomsticks at night. Mainly Hagrid only visited the Hogshead, but they had seen him yet, and if he did, they hoped he wouldn't notice that they were Hogwarts students. They had never spoken to him and they didn't choose his class as an elective in second year.

"According to my father, the bartender never checked to see if students were seventeen or not, wonder if he is the same way? He's really ancient now," Maisie said.

"He is Dumbledore's brother… the old Headmaster of Hogwarts, you know, the one who-"

"I think even first year Mudbloods know who Albus Dumbledore was," Maisie interrupted. "You don't have to tell me… and yes, I knew that about the old bartender. I'm amazed he is still alive, he has to be almost two-hundred-years-old! Wonder why he isn't dead yet?"

"Dunno, I've known of people to live to two-hundred-years-old. There was some bloke and his wife who lived to be over six-hundred!" Laney said.

"Well that's because they had that Philosopher's Stone thing wasn't it? It was destroyed over thirty-years ago I think," Maisie sighed. "But anyway, if he is so ancient, his eye sight can't be too good. He might not notice how young I am."

"I wouldn't-" Laney started to say but then the door of the Hogshead opened and two familiar people entered.

They didn't notice Maisie and Laney; they went straight over to the bar tender. Laney looked furious.

"You'd better not be ordering firewhiskey, Peter," she shouted.

Both boys whipped around. Scorpius' and Maisie's eyes met, quickly, they looked away from each other. Maisie felt the warmth in her cheeks. He was still good-looking, but very forbidding. Ugh, were girls allowed to think that their brothers were good-looking? She heard Peter swear.

"I am seventeen," Peter said. "I can order what I want."

"I'm a prefect," Laney said as she stalked over to the boys.

"Yes, and you're also out of bounds!" Peter retorted. "Go on, put me in detention, but you might as well put yourself in it as well since you shouldn't be here either."

Maisie got up slowly and joined them to pull Laney away. She wanted to leave, now! If Peter and Laney started to fight, it meant that they would ditch her. She didn't want to walk back to Hogwarts on her own. With her luck, she'd be caught by old Filch.

"I think we should go talk about this now," Laney said to Peter and looked over at Scorpius and Maisie. "Why don't you two walk to Hogwarts together?"

And with that, they were leaving the Hogshead. Peter was mumbling under his breathe about how he was sick of this. Maisie and Scorpius stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, I came here to get a butterbeer, did you want one?" he asked after an embarrassed silence.

"Er- sure," she really didn't want to walk back on her own. "Do you get the feeling they set this up?"

Scorpius paid for two butterbeers, they walked back over to the table that Maisie and Laney had been at. He gave a small shrug as he handed her one of them.

"You've had a lot," he said as he looked over the bottles still on the table.

"Some of them are Laney's," she answered. "But you know, I just wanted to get away. I would have ordered firewhiskey but I wasn't sure if that old bartender would check or not. He's very ancient so maybe not."

"No, he does. Peter and I made that mistake once. He may look old, but he still has a very good memory. I'm surprised he doesn't rat students out though."

They were quiet for a while longer; they just drank their butterbeers and looked around the pub. There were some really odd people inside. Some had their faces hidden, one looked like a mummy. Maisie was sure that the big green person was actually an ogre. She was glad that Scorpius hadn't run out on her. He had looked as if he wanted to.

"So, how are you doing?" she asked him.

"How do you think?" he snapped and she flinched. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just this is all so messed up. I don't even know what to think about it all. I'm so damned angry with my father and your mother…"

"I am too," Maisie said. "When I told them about us, mum got all upset. They weren't going to tell me at first, and then they went to your house to talk about it. When they came back, they told me everything. I haven't spoken to her since. Maybe when I graduate Hogwarts I can leave the country, far from them. I heard Canada is a nice place."

"I smashed all of my father's cherished possessions. He didn't even get angry with me. He got this defeated look on his face… but it just made me angrier. He has no right to feel weak after what he did to my mother, me… and well you. You're his daughter and he didn't want anything to do with you."

"They thought they could hide it from is," Maisie said. "And the past came to bite them in the ass… as my father puts it."

"Well it's their own fault. I mean, we're the same age as each other. With our parentage, they should have guessed we'd both be Slytherin. They should have thought about the fact there was a chance we'd… you know, but they didn't. They just hid the truth to save their own asses, and it pisses me off. It would be different if we were brothers or sisters, but we're not. We are brother and sister, and yet the thought never crossed their minds…"

Maisie nodded. She had thrown that in her mothers face. They should have known there was a chance it would happen. They all knew back in first year that she and Scorpius had been sorted in the same house, so why didn't they think to bring it up? It was completely aggravating to no end.

"It is ridiculous," she said, "and to find out my dad wasn't my dad all these years, and I have a different dad who didn't want me…"

She didn't want to talk about it anymore; she always wanted to cry when she thought about it. Scorpius seemed to notice, he placed a hand on to hers. They both jumped for a moment, but then stared at each other. They couldn't ever date… but they were brother and sister. They could be friends at least.

"I should get you back to Hogwarts," he finally said. "Can't let my little sister stay out too late."

"Little? I'm only four months younger than you are!" Maisie protested but she stood up.

"Yes, so I'm older. I'm also a prefect, as your big brother and your prefect, I demand you return to Hogwarts now!" he said and then smiled.

They left the pub together. They likely wouldn't ever tell anyone the truth about themselves, but Maisie had a feeling that they would slowly develop a close friendship anyway.

---  
"-and then, if you'll believe it, this guy really did streak through the corridors," Draco said and laughed as he leaned on to Theo.

So far they had not talked about what they were supposed to. Pansy and Astoria were not amused. Both Draco and Theo drank their way through a bottle of firewhiskey and became very drunk. There was no way they would be talking about the children that night. In a way, it felt like old times.

"All right, I think you've had enough to drink," Astoria told Draco.

"Do you know I love you so much?" he asked her. "God I'm such a failure as a husband and father."

"No, dear you're not. You made a very stupid and horrible mistake but over the past seventeen years, you've made me a very happy woman. Right now I'm not happy because we came over here to talk about what to do with the kids. Instead, you and Theo are drunk, and we haven't talked about anything important."

"Hey, I think when I streaked down the corridors was very important. It was defining moment for me," Theo said.

"Okay boys, time for bed. I'll be taking you home Draco. We'll have to do this another night," Astoria sighed.

"You'll be coming to bed with me, won't you?" Draco asked and then kissed her.

It took a few moments, and then they were gone. Pansy stared up at Theo with bemusement. He stood holding the firewhiskey with a silly grin on his face.

"Do you remember when I ran through the corridors-?"

"Yes Theo, I remember. You gave Filch something to look at, now come on, you're tired. You are in trouble, but I can't talk to you right now, so tomorrow we will. Get you back with your old buddies and what happens? You act like a seventeen-year-old who has drank firewhiskey for the first time."

"Hey I drank it for the first time when I was twelve. Remember? It was first year and the Slytherin team had won the Quidditch cup because Potter was in the hospital wing? Do you remember? I do."

"I've got to clean up, you go to bed," Pansy said.

She didn't find this amusing at all. She wanted her daughter to forgive her and she still didn't know what to do about it.


End file.
